Letter carriers ask Moberly to “Stamp out Hunger”

This Saturday (May 11), the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) and the Campbell Soup Company are asking Moberly to help Stamp Out Hunger.

“Now in its 21st year, the annual food drive has grown from a regional to a national effort that provides assistance to the millions of Americans struggling to put food on the table.” That is per the drives press release.

The Stamp Out Hunger food drive, held on the second Saturday in May, is marketed by the NALC and Campbells as “the nation’s largest single-day food drive benefiting Feeding America, the nation’s largest domestic hunger-relief organization.”

In 2012, Americans donated 70 million pounds of food, which marked the ninth consecutive year that at least 70 million pounds were collected by letter carriers.

Moberly carriers and volunteers collected two tons (4,000 pounds) of food last year, on top of monetary donations. They say that they are looking forward to this Saturday.

“We’re incredibly excited for the 21st year of the Stamp Out Hunger food drive,” said Postmaster David Whitesides. “We’re asking residents for their support to make this year the most successful in the drive’s history. It’s so easy to make a donation.”

To participate in the city’s drive, Whiteside said, Moberly residents are encouraged to leave a sturdy bag containing non-perishable food items, such as canned soup, canned vegetables, peanut butter, pasta, rice or cereal, etc., next to their mailbox by 9 a.m., on Saturday, May 11. Moberly letter carriers and volunteers wearing special IDs will collect these food donations as they deliver the mail, and take them to the Post Office to be divided equally between the Christos Center and Cherith Brook Food Pantry. Liz Schopp and David Gudehus, with the Christos Center spoke to the Moberly carriers Tuesday morning, and are much appreciative of the work they are doing as the food collection stays local and helps local individuals in need.

“Feeding America provides food assistance to 37 million Americans every year,” the release states. “According to Feeding America, one in eight Americans relies on the organization for food and groceries, and the organization distributes nearly 3.4 billion pounds of donated food and grocery products annually, including more than 800 million pounds of fresh produce.”

For more information about the annual Stamp Out Hunger food drive in Moberly, visit www.helpstampouthunger.com or www.facebook.com/StampOutHunger, and follow the drive at www.twitter.com/StampOutHunger.